A federal judge in California authorized the U.S. government to share basic Medicaid enrollment information on people residing illegally in the country with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a decision that strengthens the Trump administration's deportation strategy.

Magistrate Judge Vince Chhabria of the Northern District of California, He argued that current legislation allows the transfer of limited identification and location data, provided that medical records or other sensitive clinical information of program beneficiaries are excluded. “The sharing of such information is clearly authorized by law, and the agencies have adequately explained their decisions,” the judge noted in his ruling issued Monday, wrote Judge Vince Chhabria. The ruling lifts restrictions that had been in place since July, when Democratic attorneys general from 22 states filed a lawsuit to block the federal policy, and allows ICE to use the records in immigration enforcement proceedings starting January 6. The case was brought by California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who warned that allowing access to Medicaid data could discourage vulnerable people from seeking emergency medical care, even though federal law requires states to provide limited coverage regardless of immigration status. Limited scope and strong challenges to federal policy

Chhabria established strict limits on the type of information that can be shared, restricting the exchange to basic data such as name, address, telephone number, date of birth, immigration status, and Medicaid identification numbers, while medical records will remain protected.

The judge also criticized the lack of clarity in the government's policies to justify a broader use of the information and questioned why it had not been precisely explained what other data would be necessary or what the risks associated with its disclosure would be.

“Beyond the basic information discussed above, the policies are totally confusing and do not appear to be the product of a coherent decision-making process,” wrote Justice Vince Chhabria.

The ruling comes amid a hardening of President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda, who has promoted greater coordination among federal agencies and the use of government databases to locate undocumented immigrants and expedite deportation proceedings.

Although people living illegally in the United States do not qualify for full Medicaid, they can receive emergency Medicaid for life-threatening treatments in emergency rooms, a benefit that, according to the plaintiff states, would be threatened if the data is used for immigration purposes.

The California Attorney General’s office expressed its displeasure with the court’s decision. “We are disappointed by the ruling that allows some Medicaid data to be shared with ICE,” Rob Bonta’s team said in an official statement.